The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Mr. Ken Ashigbey, believes a credible database could aid in the fight against scammers in the system.
His comment follows the launch of a self-service application app by the National Communications Authority (NCA) for registering SIM cards.
The NCA unveiled the GH SIM SELF REG app to encourage the ongoing sim card re-registration exercise.
Commenting on the app, Mr. Ashigbey said it will help fish out scammers.
“When the database is authentic, we can now fish out those scammers and all, although ‘the data is currently being kept at the National Information Technology Agency. Data security is not a major problem for us. If we could get the National Identification Authority (NIA) and NCA to work together, that would be better,” he told 3news.
The app is intended for subscribers who have done Stage 1 of their SIM card registration and processing to Stage 2.
The app provides another means for telecom subscribers to complete their SIM Card Registration using the Ghana Card; subscribers who prefer to physically go to their Service Provider’s registration points to complete Stage 2 can still do so, the NCA said in a statement.
The benefits of the application include providing convenience for subscribers as they can register in the comfort of their homes, offices, or other convenient locations.
“The NCA urges subscribers to reach out to its Operational Support Centre via toll-free number 0800-110-622 or the Authority’s handles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn or the NCA’s website, www.nca.org.gh for any inquiries or for more information about the app,” it added.
Deadline
At the end of the second deadline for re-registration of all sim cards, the government granted a conditional extension of the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards registration exercise to 30th September 2022.
Announcing the extension, the Sector Minister, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said upon consultation with the telecommunications industry and “in view of the challenges enumerated above, I have very reluctantly decided to grant a final conditional extension”.
She added: “The program will, and I am choosing my words carefully, the program will be extended to 30th September to end on the anniversary of its commencement.
“That will give us one full year of SIM registration, it will be reviewed at the end of this month and any SIM that has not been fully registered by the end of August will be barred from receiving certain services including voice and data services, it will also be more expensive to use unregistered SIMS.
“The full range of punitive measures will be announced at another press briefing in September…”
The government had initially set Sunday, 31st July 2022, as the deadline for all persons to re-register their SIM cards with their Ghana Identification cards. Persons who were unable to re-register their SIMS would have had their SIMS deactivated.
The re-registration is to help law enforcement agencies to identify SIM card owners, track criminals who use SIM cards for illegal activities, and curb fraudulent activities.
It is also to develop and build a SIM database with integrity, which will aid the determination of the accurate number of valid SIM cards on the various telecommunication networks at any point in time.
However, many Ghanaians have been unable to acquire their Ghana cards to complete the registration process.
SIM registration timeline
The SIM re-registration commenced on 1st October 2021.
The six-month exercise, expected to end on 31st March 2022, was extended by another 4 months to 31st July 2022.
That extension was granted to enable over 7.5 million Ghanaians and residents who had not obtained Ghana Cards at the time to register their SIM.